Tis the season for chocolate. Between Valentine’s and Easter, we’re practically made of the stuff. For several years, I’ve asked readers to boycott Hershey’s—the biggest chocolate manufacturer in America—because of delays in implementing third-party certification to reduce the prevalence of child labor, forced labor, child trafficking and verbal, physical and sexual harassment in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, where the company sources its cocoa. I even published candy guides to help parents navigate away from companies like Nestle, which phased out artificial food additives in their European confectionary line three years ago, but have yet to make the same move here in America. (Oh, and bottled California’s water without remorse during the drought.) Until recently, I had no idea that there was so much choice when it comes to conscious chocolate! From fair trade to organic to—yes—even vegan chocolate, this candy has come a long way, baby. [Read more…]

I wish we could skip Easter this year. It seems as artificial as Valentine’s Day to me—a manufacturer’s holiday awkwardly slapped onto a day of religious significance. Why not just have Chocolate Day or Day to Support the Flower Industry? The Easter Bunny commercials seem to start the day they bring the cupids down—like it’s the same flow of chocolate, just cut from a different mold. So this year, I plan to shake things up a bit with three easy steps to create an organic Easter celebration to believe in. Join me? [Read more…]

Last year I celebrated Valentine’s Day by asking you to boycott Hershey’s, which is working towards 100% third-party certified production in Africa—a step that would eliminate once and for all accusations of child labor, forced labor, child trafficking and verbal, physical and sexual harassment that have plagued America’s biggest chocolate manufacturer for years. This year, I’m going one step further: Will you join me in putting your love money to work with fair trade Valentine’s Day gifts? [Read more…]